Huffing and puffing while the sweat dripped from his face, Toni Lydman pronounced himself fit to perform.

Not in the Stanley Cup final, mind you.

"I could do a triathlon, probably," said the defenceman dryly.

"I feel great."

Perhaps on the verge of a return or simply coming close but not close enough, Lydman partook in yesterday's optional skate, his second time on the ice in as many days.

"I was out there (early) Saturday and I'm proud to say I was among the top two guys, two best guys, out there for a little while. That's when the other players showed up," he said.

"At first, it was me and (Lynn) Loyns out there and there weren't too many guys better than me out there. Just one."

The Finnish national has been eyeing a return for the past couple of weeks, hoping to get back into the lineup for the first time since April 11, Game 3 of the Vancouver series. That night, he suffered his second concussion in a month.

He skated for the first time a couple of weeks ago and appeared to be ramping up his level for a return in this series. However, Lydman suffered a bit of a setback and had to take a couple of days off.

Whether he'll be deemed healthy enough to play before the final concludes is up in the air.

"There's a chance as long as we're playing and there's games but I don't know," he said. "I haven't talked to the medical staff. It's still too far to think about. I hope so. I definitely would like to get back on the ice.

"It's been a while since I played and it's not the perfect situation but we'll see how it goes."

Until then, he'll continue to watch from on high and cheer his teammates. It's not the best position to be in but it is the hand he's being dealt right now.

"I've been really nervous watching the games. More nervous than if I was playing the whole playoffs. You can't do anything. It's terrible," he said. "It's been tough but I can tell you it'd be tougher if we were out already and heading home. I'm happy it's working out like this, at least."